In 1995, Nora Guthrie approached Billy Bragg with the idea of
setting music to many of Woody's lyrics to which there had been no music. These
lyrics/poems came out of the Woody Guthrie Archive. Billy joined with the band
Wilco and they set music to these songs. The album was released in 1998 to critical
acclaim, made bestseller lists, and earned a Grammy nomination. The album's
title comes from the street in Coney Island, Brooklyn where Woody and his family
lived.